Life's Brief Candle
by crazy4u
Summary: The first sequel of "Let Me Fall". Kogure's POV. Where does he fit in this story? R


Hey readers!

Guess what? This is my second fic! Yup, this is the sequel of "Let Me Fall". There is one more part, which I will post later. (I'm working on it right now!!)

Oh and before you start reading, let me say thanks to those who read and reviewed my first fic; hanabanana, maiden, arty, dysfunctional, kaesaku, emmer, cold flame, yoake hajime, say lee, khay, jess-miranda, crammer and setsuna. Not to forget, my friends: nanni, g-hah, d-ra and hazwan. 

And a special thanks to Yelen for beta-reading.

Hm..what else?? Oh yeah! This story is in Kogure' s POV, since today is his birthday, the same date as my favorite teacher!! (To the SMKBB-ians : It's Pn. Aniza's 32nd birthday!!)

Okay then, enjoy the fic, review and don't throw rotten veggies at me after finish reading k?? They're yuckie, and I hate rotten veggies!! 

Okay enjoy!

The hospital.

It was directly in front of me, all gleaming in white.

It's certainly isn't in my schedule to be here.

But I had to make an exception.

I walked in and went straight to the counter.

After saying thanks to the nurse who gave me the direction to the room I've been looking for, I headed straight to Floor 3 Room 114.

**"You wanted to see me?" **

**The other person nodded. "It's about my client. You see…"**

I turned the doorknob.

I've always hated to be in a hospital.

It's very gloomy and dull.

I took a deep breath and stepped in.

And I found myself looking at the stiff body lying on the white-sheet bed.

**"Mitsui?"**** I asked.**

**Mitsui's lawyer nodded.**

**"What do you mean?"**

**"We found this among his possession_s_. It had your name written on the envelope. That is why I called you here."**

**He passed me the brown-colored envelope. I accepted it.**

**Indeed, my name was written on it. I turned my attention back to the lawyer.**

**"I hope you don't mind. I read the letter inside without your permission"**

**I didn't mind a bit. Only one word was playing in my head: "Why?"**

**"Well, what did it say?" I asked the lawyer.**

**The lawyer answered in a rather soft but serious voice. "It seems that we had misunderstood him"**

The room was neat.

A vase full of colorful flowers was standing proud on the bedside table in front of me.

A painting, not too colorful, not too dull, just in perfect harmony, hung across the hospital bed.

I looked at the sleeping body in front of me.

"Hey," I mouthed.

There was no reply. Of course there was no reply.

You can't expect a comatose patient to suddenly awake just to greet you_._ But I've watched from lots of movies that you can talk to a coma patient. They can hear you, but they can't give you a reply.

"You're such a lucky guy, you know. Trying to do something stupid, and at the end you are still here in this world. God wants you to have a second chance."

I gave a small smile.

I still remember. I was in my office when I had read the newspaper about Mitsui's attempted suicide.

_You're an ass. You know that?_

I didn't know how he had survived. He had a brain concussion and some minor injuries on his body, and the doctors had confirmed that he was in a coma. Somehow, I just felt relieved that he was still alive, despite his condition right now.

**I opened the envelope. Then I took out a white-yellowish letter inside it.**

**I unfolded the letter. It was neatly-written in black ink.__**

**I read the letter.**

It has almost been about more than 2 months since the incident had occurred.

And to think that it's been almost 2 years that I've been such a fool. I was such a fool to have not seen who was right or who was wrong.

I guess the anger from 15 years ago still hasn't disappeared inside of me. I was still mad at Mitsui for giving up and walking away so easily.

I took out the letter from inside my pocket.

The letter was crumpled from being read and re-read over and over.

No matter how many thousand times I read it, the contents will always be the same, the writer the same person lying on the bed before me now.

**I folded back the letter and stared at the lawyer's face.**

**"What is this supposed to mean?"**

**"You know what it mean_s_ Mr. Kogure."**

**I rubbed my temples. This problem was getting complicated.**

**"Mr. Mitsui hadn't mentioned this even once to me. If he had told me about this, the court would've reconsidered his case. This proof would clear many things, on both Mitsui's and Miyagi's side," the lawyer explained.**

**"I don't get it. Why didn't he tell you about this?" I feel a headache coming on.__**

**"Before the death of Mr. Miyagi, we had found out that he had visited a bar a few days before. I suspected that that was where he had met with Mr. Mitsui"**

**"-And you think, that was when Miyagi told him about his secret," I said.**

**"Yes. Like the Latin say it, '_In Vino Veritas'. "_**

****

**Since I had no intention of replying, he continued,**

**"When I read the letter, I went to see an inspector and asked him to check on Miyagi's record." He stopped. "And it revealedthat Miyagi never did anything bad in his past life. He had a clean record, well other than some speeding tickets." **

**"Which makes you more confused_,"_ I said.**

**"Yes, I am confused asto why Mr. Mitsui wrote, 'Miyagi had something to do with Mr. Anzai's death'."**

"Mitsui," I mumbled. _What was the 'something' that Miyagi had done?_

I looked closely at the pale face in front of me. His face was void of anyanswers I was searching for. 

_You look very calm._

He looked just like he did 15 years ago. I smiled remembering those days.

If only I had the power to turn back time, I would use it to find the truth. I want to find the truth to end this confusing and complicated drama that somehow had me involved.__

_This is all your mess, Mitsui. And I have to clean it up for you. Please, tell me what should I do?_

**"I don't understand this. If Mitsui's motive for killing Miyagi was because he knew that Miyagi played a part in Mr. Anzai's death, then why didn't he write down what Miyagi had done?" **

**The lawyer shook his head. "I have no idea."**

**Silence filled the air. We didn't know what to say to each other. Then, the lawyer suggested something to me, "Do you know Mitsui's friends?"**

**_Huh? "Which of his friends do you mean?" __The friends he left behind 15 years ago or the troublesome ones he made 15 years ago?_**

**"Tetsuo," he replied coolly.**

** I cleared my throat. "Well the last time I saw him was when he, Mitsui and some friends of them were trying to destroy our basketball club. But that was 15 years ago. Why?"_ If Mr. Anzai didn't have his heart attack that time, I'm sure Mitsui won't end up the way he is today. And Shohoku 15 years ago would have been perfect._**

****

**"Well, Mitsui might have told Tetsuo about this. They were good friends before."**

**I stood up. The lawyer looked at me. "Say, do you want me to ask him?" **

**"Would you?" he asked back. **

**I looked at him and smiled. "What are friends for?" **

**"Cleaning up the other friend's mess," he replied with a sarcastic edge to his voice_._**

 I still didn't understand why the lawyer wanted to find out the truth. The trial was over a long time ago. The case was closed. He was off the case.

_But then again, he used to be a detective. I guess his work won't be done until he finishes joining all the pieces of the puzzle together._

Saguru Hakuba is one of the people you shouldn't underestimate. He is a smart lawyer. I guess he was ashamed of losing Mitsui's case_._ He must be trying to clear his name now.

_But then again, it wasn't Hakuba fault. Mitsui was the one not helping out. But, I wonder how did Tetsuo know Hakuba?_

Yes, I did talk to Tetsuo. Lucky me, he didn't give me a blow or two. I was expecting it though. I asked Tetsuo if Mitsui told him anything about Miyagi, and he answered no. At that time, Mitsui's gang from high school was there too. They too denied knowing anything about Miyagi.

This only means one thing; he tried to keep what Miyagi had done from all of us. But why?

"Mitsui, help me. Don't you want your name to be clear? Give me a clue. Something that would lead me to all the questions playing in my head now," I pleaded to the cold body lying in the room.

I looked at his face, from his forehead to his chin. Then I realized that he looked almost like a dead man. _Well of course, he looked dead on the outside. His soul is probably wondering around in some places and doesn't want to go back to the real world._

_This somehow reminds me –_

_Mitsui's life has just reminded me of something._

Mitsui had tried to kill himself because he refused to look into the future, because he thinks it is of no use doing so. He is not interested in staying alive anymore. He had rather give his life up than to suffer deep despair for the rest of his life.  _Now, where have I seen this same situation before? Of course!****_

 "Your life is just like the play "Macbeth" you know. Have you seen it?" I asked the stone-dead coma body.

_ Macbeth's life was full of regrets and hopelessness, just like you. Macbeth was feeling guilt for killing the king, just like you were feeling guilt for killing Miyagi. Heh, aren't you two the same?_

I remembered the film adaptation of "Macbeth" I watched a long time ago. _Now, what those lines that Macbeth had said in the play? Ah, yes._

****

**_Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow,___**

**_Creeps in this petty pace from day to day_**

**_To the last syllable of the recorded time_**

**_And all our yesterdays have lighted fools_**

**_The way to dusty death_**

**_Out, out brief candle!_**

**_Life's like a walking shadow_**

**_A poor player_**

**_That struts and frets his hour upon the stage_**

**_And then is heard no more_**

**_It is a tale, told by an idiot_**

**_Full of sound and fury_**

**_Signifying nothing._**__****

"Eh?" I blinked my eyes. _What is that? _I found myself looking across the bed where the bedside table was standing. _What is that white thing lying down on the table?_

I reached for the bedside table. It looks like a card_. A get-well card, _I corrected myself.

 I took the card and opened it. I read the contents.

 **_Dear Mr. Mitsui,_**

****

**_I wish and pray for you to recover from your coma very soon._**

****

**_Thank you very much, Mitsui. I don't know how to repay your kindness._**

****

**_If you are fully recovered, by the time you read this card, do give me a call._**

****

**_ You know where to find me._**

****

**_Thank you again,_**

****

**_-Ayako-_**

****

"Ayako?" I whispered to myself. _But I thought she was in __America__? After the divorce with Miyagi a year before his death, Ayako moved to States to live with her family. _Did she come back to ___Japan__? When?_

I looked at Mitsui. "Why is your life is so complicated?" I asked him. Somewhere inside my body was screaming to find all the answers that have been haunting me for the past months. And I knew that curiosity was filling my brain like a slowly-inflating balloon. And I couldn't defeat the urges to solve all these problems. I sighed.

I looked at Mitsui one last time. "I'm going to find her, and perhaps, just perhaps I will get all the answers I want. While I'm gone, do recover from your coma. I 

want to talk to you when all of this is over; there are a lot of things we have to catch up _on _with each other," I said to Mitsui. _More like talking to his soul, _I remarked.

I walked out of the hospital and, walking towards the car park, I got out my cell phone and dialed Hakuba's number. _Looks like I'd need his help to find where Ayako is now. _

_I'm sure Ayako is the key to my questions. I have reasons to believe so._

 She and Miyagi were in love with each other, _so_ there must be a reason why they divorced. It might have something to do with Miyagi's 'secrets'. When did she and Mitsui meet? Why? And what did she mean by thanking Mitsui?

I waited for the dial tone. _Pick it up, my mind pleaded._

_There is only one truth, and I will find it. Either Mitsui or Miyagi is the guilty one. I will find the answers. I want to end this drama now._

Someone answered my call just asI reached my car. "Hello?" the other person said. I recognize the voice immediately. 

"Hakuba? It's me, Kogure. Listen, I need your help…"

_If you can't join all the puzzle pieces together, then I **will** gladly help you to join them._

_Hey, what are friends for?_

-end- 

A/N:  

(1) The title of the story is called "Life's Brief Candle" because it was the name of the poem I mentioned in the story. The poem is taken from Act 5, Scene 5 from the play 'Macbeth'. (To secondary students in Malaysia: Hey, you know where I get the poem right? Yep, the Form 1 literature book!!!)

(2) "_In Vino Veritas" _is a Latin phrase or proverb, suggesting that people speaks the truth when they are drunk. The literal meaning is 'in wine there is truth". 

(3) To those who familiar with Detective Conan, you know who Hakuba Saguru really is. Hehe, I love him so much I want him in here!! Oh and this include Kudo Shinichi's famous quote "There is only one truth". I love those words!! ^.^= 

(4) Nope, like I said this is not the real ending. There's one more part. I WILL post it, so wait for it okay?

(5) REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!


End file.
